BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Maybe the tech sucking relatively to what we already have is holding us back.....

Just wondering how vulnerable this would be to weather and natural disasters. I would think more regionalized loci -- for example, one in the Ukraine that would serve Europe and European Russia -- might be more cost effective and limit outages to more local areas.

But that's one hell of a lot of money. Maybe the People's Republic would dismantle its military in order to spend that money on this project?

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Well this is fairly disingenuous*. Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects not to green energy but to its costs. And here we are saying that there's this project that would cost, as was pointed out earlier, about half the worth of the world. Oh, and it would be controlled by China, so we can hope they'd NEVER use their global power grid to extort policies they favor.

Do we need green energy? Yes. Do we need to approve and endorse every single green energy plan that get thrown against the wall? No. But of course, when one of those proposals hears a "no," suddenly people want to turn the planet grey.

China has to be the leader in green energy, if they want to survive, the pic above demonstrates that. They already have a significant problem with smog and acid rain. The plan is ambitious to say the least, and not sure how they get other countries to buy into it, but the fact that they are looking at something like this is an indicator that they are only becoming more influential on the world stage. Surpass the USA as the major world power? That is only a matter of time, sad to say.

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Well this is fairly disingenuous*. Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects not to green energy but to its costs. And here we are saying that there's this project that would cost, as was pointed out earlier, about half the worth of the world. Oh, and it would be controlled by China, so we can hope they'd NEVER use their global power grid to extort policies they favor.

Do we need green energy? Yes. Do we need to approve and endorse every single green energy plan that get thrown against the wall? No. But of course, when one of those proposals hears a "no," suddenly people want to turn the planet grey.

* Properly used, for your convenience

The argument isn't that we need to sign on to this particular plan of China's, but that perhaps we should be thinking on a similarly grand scale if we want to retain our global leadership and dominance into the next century.

Climate change, by definition, requires a massive global intervention, possibly on the scale of this Chinese project (assuming you believe anthropogenic climate change is real and requires intervention, of course). Apart from Australia, I don't know that there are any other major countries that outright reject the idea of climate change in the way that our (ostensibly) governing Republican Party does.

This means that if we continue to do nothing, the rest of the world will end up looking for leadership in such a monumental task, leadership that China would be happy to provide and, as you suggest, gain long-term advantage from.

Unless I am mistaken, Europe utilizes solar and wind power much more than the USA currently, if China is offering a plan that Europe can buy into, they will do just that, leaving the USA to wonder why they are not at the ribbon cutting ceremonies.

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Well this is fairly disingenuous*. Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects not to green energy but to its costs. And here we are saying that there's this project that would cost, as was pointed out earlier, about half the worth of the world. Oh, and it would be controlled by China, so we can hope they'd NEVER use their global power grid to extort policies they favor.

Do we need green energy? Yes. Do we need to approve and endorse every single green energy plan that get thrown against the wall? No. But of course, when one of those proposals hears a "no," suddenly people want to turn the planet grey.

* Properly used, for your convenience

The argument isn't that we need to sign on to this particular plan of China's, but that perhaps we should be thinking on a similarly grand scale if we want to retain our global leadership and dominance into the next century.

Climate change, by definition, requires a massive global intervention, possibly on the scale of this Chinese project (assuming you believe anthropogenic climate change is real and requires intervention, of course). Apart from Australia, I don't know that there are any other major countries that outright reject the idea of climate change in the way that our (ostensibly) governing Republican Party does.

This means that if we continue to do nothing, the rest of the world will end up looking for leadership in such a monumental task, leadership that China would be happy to provide and, as you suggest, gain long-term advantage from.

I do admit that is part of the problem I have with the GOP leadership. Early on, their way of addressing it was to deny it... and now there's no way to unpaint your way out of that corner. For too long, the voice of solutions has been ceded to those on the other side of the argument. So now it seems that to acknowledge the problem is to agree to the solutions that have been proposed by others, solutions which were made with no counter-solutions. There -are- solid, conservative solutions that would work, but nobody is allowed to voice those, because you aren't allowed to acknowledge science.

Myself, I would love to see the US invest in its infrastructure the way it did with the railroad in the 1800s and the interstate in the 1900s. Our communication and power networks are vastly outdated and it is a matter of national security to keep them up-to-date and keep them safe. THAT needs to be a major investment of ours. And if improving the power grid comes along with improved energy solutions, I would be all for it.

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Oh, and it would be controlled by China, so we can hope they'd NEVER use their global power grid to extort policies they favor.

The article makes no mention that China would control this global grid; HOWEVER, if it's only Russia, China and Europe who build this infrastructure we'd be hard pressed to complain later that they were pushing through international policies favorable to them and cutting us out. The point is that it is better to be at the forefront of global initiatives like this (even it not exactly this one) than picking at the scraps left behind.

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Well this is fairly disingenuous*. Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects not to green energy but to its costs.

This statement deserves a rebuttal: it really doesn't matter why Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects to green energy - the end result is the same. The US is behind the global green energy curve, getting further behind every year, and not stepping up to the plate with initiatives that cement our standing as a global leader. In the case of green energy and medical research into stem cells, the blame can be laid at the feet of the members of one side of the political aisle.

It shouldn't come as a surprise or shock to anyone that a country of 1.3 billion people that actually produces a shitload of goods for export is going to come to the fore and be an economic powerhouse in this century. It's a natural progression. Britain and Europe had their day in the sun, then the US. It's the Asian century now and will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. Welcome to the new world order.

BEIJING — China has unveiled a proposal for a $50 trillion global electricity network that would help fight pollution and the effects of climate change.

The plan envisions linking existing and future solar farms, wind turbines and electricity plants in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, according to the head of State Grid Corporation of China.

The proposal is in its initial stages and would require huge investment from around the world. If it goes ahead, it would be the world's largest infrastructure project. It could be operational by 2050, according to backers.

Is this a sign of things to come? Is the US losing its leadership position on the global stage? First stem cell research and now green energy. Opposition to these science and engineering feats came from the Right. Is the Right holding us back?

Well this is fairly disingenuous*. Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects not to green energy but to its costs.

This statement deserves a rebuttal: it really doesn't matter why Scaryfingerquotes-THE RIGHT-closescaryfingerquotes objects to green energy - the end result is the same. The US is behind the global green energy curve, getting further behind every year, and not stepping up to the plate with initiatives that cement our standing as a global leader. In the case of green energy and medical research into stem cells, the blame can be laid at the feet of the members of one side of the political aisle.

So the fact that it's not green energy that people object to doesn't matter because they object to it? Flowchart, please.